Normally, by this point in the season, a classification has established its hierarchy — we have a good idea of who’s at the top of the classification, who’s at the bottom and who’s in the middle.
Not in Class 2A this year.
Nine schools have winning records. Not included in that list are Newcastle and Greybull — Newcastle’s in-state losses have come to schools that are a combined 14-1, while Greybull’s losses have come to schools a combined 16-4.
In a classification where simply qualifying for the playoffs is a challenge, every game is critical.
This week, Class 2A has four standout games: Big Horn at Wheatland and Newcastle at Glenrock in the East, and Lyman at Mountain View and Thermopolis at Lovell in the West.
Every single one of those games could be the game that makes or breaks a season. Can former No. 1 Big Horn give streaking Wheatland its first loss? Will Newcastle fall further behind in the East race, or keep pace by beating the suddenly vulnerable Herders? Will Mountain View’s sudden losing streak continue against its Bridger Valley rival? Can Thermopolis come back from its first loss to beat the undefeated Bulldogs?
All four games have huge postseason implications.
The other four games in 2A could turn out to be just as big, too. But that’s what makes the classification a blast to follow this season.
This year’s 2A parity reminds me a lot of one of my favorite seasons: Class 2A in 2007. That year, every playoff game was decided by eight points or fewer, and Riverside won the state championship by winning games by two points, one point and one point.
I expect something similar in the 2A playoffs this year.
Predictability is boring. Class 2A is anything but.
Other things to watch this week: This may be the most unpredictable week of the year. I struggled with several choices. Look for lots of close games this week. … Star Valley-Cody will be interesting to watch. A Cody victory could add fuel to an already heated rivalry next week, but that also means the Broncs need to be careful of looking ahead. The Braves are way too good for anyone to look past. … Speaking of Lincoln County vs. the BHB, how about the long trip Cokeville has to make to Cowley to play Rocky Mountain? The Panthers and Grizzles are part of a three-way logjam atop the 1A 11-man West standings, and this game will help break it up. … I’ve been really impressed with Torrington’s improvement this year. I’m curious to see how the Trailblazers match up against last year’s 3A East champs, Riverton. … The most underrated game of the week might be Wyoming Indian-Snake River. Neither team has proven contender-worthy yet, but both teams are good enough to take seriously come playoff time. … Seems like kind of an off week in 4A, but don’t overlook Sheridan-Central. How will the Broncs bounce back after a tough loss, and can they rebound on the road against a game Indian squad? … Two teams are guaranteed to pick up their first victories of the season, as two games (Wind River-Burlington and Hanna-NSI) feature winless squads facing off against each other.
Here are this week’s picks. Projected winners in bold; projected spoilers in regular type:
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Laramie
Cheyenne South at Natrona
Gillette at Rock Springs
Kelly Walsh at Evanston
Sheridan at Cheyenne Central
Class 3A
Buffalo at Lander
Green River at Jackson
Rawlins at Douglas
Star Valley at Cody
Torrington at Riverton
Worland at Powell
Class 2A
Big Horn at Wheatland
Burns at Moorcroft
Newcastle at Glenrock
Lyman at Mountain View
Pinedale at Big Piney
Thermopolis at Lovell
Wright at Tongue River
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Wind River
Cokeville at Rocky Mountain
Pine Bluffs at Lingle
Riverside at Shoshoni
Upton-Sundance at Lusk
Class 1A six-man
Guernsey-Sunrise at Midwest
Hulett at Saratoga
St. Stephens at Dubois
Snake River at Wyoming Indian
Ten Sleep at Farson
Saturday
Class 2A
Greybull at Kemmerer
Class 1A six-man
Hanna at Normative Services
Meeteetse at Kaycee
Interclass
Southeast at Natrona sophs
For a full schedule including kick times, check out the 2013 schedule and results page.
Last week: 26-5 (84 percent). This season: 142-30 (83 percent).
Now I call on you. What games draw your interest this week? What picks do you disagree with? Post a comment below and we can talk, and then later this week we can stop the talk and actually play, which is way better.
–patrick